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Panera Baja Warm Grain Bowl

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This copycat of the Panera Baja Warm Grain Bowl is packed with juicy, marinated chicken, brown rice, quinoa, avocado, tomatoes, feta and more! It’s great for any meal at home or make-ahead meal planning!

Panera Baja Warm Grain Bowl

What You Will ❤️ About Panera Warm Grain Bowl

  • Make At Home – This is a favorite of mine and might not be on the menu much longer! No worries – you can make it at home!
  • So Healthy! I just felt healthier eating this dish complete with brown rice & quinoa, marinated chicken breast and healthy avocados and fat free Greek yogurt!
  • Flavor! With the best marinade on the chicken, the salsa verde and the feta – every bite has something new!
Panera Baja Warm Grain Bowl

Are the Panera Grain Bowls good?

Panera came out with two new grain bowls back pictured above back in 2019. (Left – Baja, Right – Mediterranean) I went out right away and got both of them!!! I definitely liked them – the Mediterranean grain bowl has arugula and I liked the addition of the greens & hummus to it. Either way you get it – they taste great!

Panera Baja Warm Grain Bowl

What are the ingredients in the Panera Baja Warm Grain Bowl? 

The Panera Baja Grain Bowls have the same base as the Mediterranean Warm Grain Bowl: marinated chicken, brown rice and red & white quinoa. But here’s everything you’ll need to make it at home:

  • Chicken breasts – you could use other proteins or even chicken thighs but marinated chicken breasts is how Panera does it!
  • Mojo criollo marinade – this marinade is a blend of orange and lemon juices, accented with garlic and spices. I use it for all my Panera recipes! You could also do a cilantro lime marinade.
  • Cooked brown rice & quinoa – for convenience, I use the pre-cooked bagged version and just heat it in the microwave while I’m prepping my ingredients
  • Grape tomatoes – these tasty little guys add a pop of freshness
  • Black bean & corn salsa – you can use whatever salsa you like – or even some black beans and corn on their own!
  • Salsa verde – salsa verde is made with tomatillos – I also like to swap out this Guacamole Salsa because it’s green and ALWAYS in my fridge!
  • Pickled red onions – you can buy them or make them!
  • Feta cheese crumbles – goat cheese would also be delicious in this but feta has that saltiness I love
  • Plain Fat Free Greek yogurt – you could also use sour cream
Panera Baja Warm Grain Bowl

How to make the Panera Baja Grain Bowl

Panera Grain Bowls are fairly easy to make – once you get your chicken perfect! Then it’s just adding it all to one bowl! Here’s how I make mine:

  1. Marinate chicken breasts in your favorite citrus/garlic marinade overnight.
  2. Air Fry chicken breasts for 10-15 minutes at 350 until cooked to an internal temperature of 155º. Remove and let rest. That’s they key – cook a little under temp and they’ll come up to temp and be delicious & juicy!
  3. While chicken is resting, microwave rice/quinoa mixture according to package directions.
  4. Prep veggies: slice tomatoes and dice avocado
  5. When quinoa is cooked, divide between two serving bowls
  6. Top quinoa/argula with tomatoes, salsa and avocado
  7. Slice chicken and place on top of quinoa.
  8. Add a heaping spoonful of yogurt to the bowl
  9. Top with feta crumbles and a drizzle of salsa verde
Panera Baja Warm Grain Bowl

Recipe Variations

  • Mediterranean – swap the avocado and salsa for kalamata olives, diced cucumbers & hummus
  • Taco – swap the chicken for taco meat and the feta for shredded colby jack
  • Salad – swap the rice/quinoa for a salad and you’re going keto!
  • Teriyaki – give it an Asian flare by using a teriyaki marinade and using broccoli and carrots for more of a hot dish

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Panera Baja Warm Grain Bowl

Tips, Tricks & FAQs

How do you store and reheat leftover grain bowl?

Store leftovers in an airtight container (I like these glass storage ones) in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. These are great for meal prep! I made one in a bowl for dinner and put the rest in a container for lunch the next day!

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Panera Baja Grain Bowl

Panera Baja Warm Grain Bowl

This copycat of the Panera Baja Warm Grain Bowl is packed with juicy, marinated chicken, brown rice, quinoa, avocado, tomatoes, feta and more! It's great for any meal at home or make-ahead meal planning!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Entree
Cuisine American, Mediterranean
Servings 2 people
Calories 951 kcal
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Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Marinate chicken breasts in your favorite citrus/garlic marinade overnight.
    2 chicken breasts, 1-2 cups mojo criollo marinade
  • Air Fry chicken breasts for 10-15 minutes at 350 until cooked to 155º. Remove and let rest. That’s they key – cook a little under temp and they’ll come up to temp and be delicious & juicy!
  • While chicken is resting, microwave rice/quinoa mixture according to package directions.
    2 cups cooked brown rice & quinoa
  • Prep veggies: slice tomatoes and dice avocado
    10 grape tomatoes, 1 avocado
  • When quinoa is cooked, divide between two serving bowls
  • Top quinoa/argula with tomatoes, salsa, pickled red onions and avocado
    1/3 cup Black bean & corn salsa, 1/4 cup pickled red onions
  • Slice chicken and place on top of quinoa.
  • Add a heaping spoonful of yogurt to the bowl
    1/2 cup Plain Fat Free Greek yogurt
  • Top with crumbled feta and salsa verde
    1/4 cup salsa verde, 1/3 cup feta

Notes

– You can use rotisserie chicken if you like
– For the brown rice/quinoa – you can either use a bag of frozen rice/quinoa or Minute Rice makes a microwavable one! Super quick!

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowlCalories: 951kcalCarbohydrates: 82gProtein: 64gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 14gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 169mgSodium: 2227mgPotassium: 1608mgFiber: 6gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 1311IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 254mgIron: 3mg
Keyword chicken, copycat, panera, salad
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

17 Comments

  1. Probably not – not sure what part you'd make in the crockpot. You could make the quinoa – but for the most part it's a cook separately and assemble dish. Hope that helps.

  2. It's up to you – based on how much you like . I really like black bean & corn salsa – so probably 1/4 cup of that and maybe a couple tablespoons of the salsa verde.

  3. Really great and delicious copycat! I think that if you are just making this for yourself you could get three servings out of it. It's super filling.

  4. I read somewhere that they also add slices of marinated red onion (red wine vinegar) and today I added tzatziki instead of plain Greek yogurt and I added some Everything Bagel seasoning! Oh my gosh love this salad so much!!!!

5 from 1 vote

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